Tether



'A (N0 Model.)

J. C. JONES. TETHBR.

No. 550,520. Patented Deo. 3, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCEa4 JAMES C. JONES, OF NIXON, TENNESSEE.

TETHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,620, Adated December 3, 1895.

Application lec] October 5, 1894:. Serial No. 525,028. (No model.)

T0 all whom L't-mcty concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES O. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nixon, in the county of I-Iardin and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Tether, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to tethers, and has for its object to provide astock-tether having simple means for taking up the slack in the tether-rope and so arranged as to take up the slack in a rope of considerable length, thus allowing the tethered animal an extended range for grazing, and, furthermore, to provide simple and improved means for mounting the rotary member of the frame, securing the same from accidental displacement, and taking up looseness due to wear.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim. A

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tether constructed in accordanceA with my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures of the drawings.

l designates a fixed vertical standard, the lower extremity of which is fitted in an opening 2 of the intersecting base-beams 3, bracerods 4 being employed to prevent vibration of the standard. The standard is provided at its upper end with a bearing-disk 8, secured against rotary movement, with its upper surface flush with a shoulder formed by the reduction of the projecting extremity of the standard to provide a bearing spindle or journal 10. Upon this bearing spindle or journal is loosely fitted a rotary beam 9,which projects at its extremities beyond the periphery ofthe disk and carries a series of guide-rollers 27, 28, 29, and 30 to guide the tether-rope 23. The extremity of the tetherrope is secured at 25 to one extremity of the beam, after which said rope extends around a pulley 24, mounted in a loop 22 at the upper extremity of av counterbalancing-weight 19. The tether-rope then passes over a pulley 26, mounted upon the beam between the point of attachment 25 of the tether-rope and the iirst guide-pulley 26, and then passes around a second pulley 24:, also mounted in a loop 22 upon the upper extremity of a weight 20. Thus a plurality of oounterbalancing-weights is employed, saidweights being graded in size or specific gravity, whereby the weight irst effected by the tension of the tether-rope is the one adjacent to the central standard or adjacent to the free end of the tether-rope.

The weights are reduced in size from the one located at the extremity of the beam toward the free end of the rope.

In order to prevent vibration of the weights during the rotation of the beam., they are provided with guide-eyes 21, iitted to slide upon guide-rods 15 and 16, located, respectively, contiguous to the paths of the weights 19 and 2O and secured at their upper extremities to the beam by means of nuts 17. The guiderods are provided at their lower ends with stops 17, which in the construction illus trated are formed as hooks, to prevent the guide-eyes on the weights from being disengaged from the guide-rods by the slackening or breaking of the tether-rope.

In order to prevent accidental displacement of the rotary beam from the Vstandard and also provide for taking up looseness due to wear, I employ a rotary head 6, arranged below the plane of the bearing-disk 8 and pro` vided with a bearing which is fitted upon a reduced portion or journal 5 of the standard. Said head is constructed of twin bars provided in their contiguous edges with` halved bearings, which combine to form a bearing to receive the journal 5, said parts orI members of the head being secured together by means of bolts 7 The extremities of this rotary head are connected, respectively, with the arms of the vrotary beam 9 by means of tension-rods 13, provided at their lower ends with eyes 12, engaging keepers 11 on the head,

IOO

the upper surface of the disk, and at the same time cause the upper surface of the head 6 to bear against the upper shoulder formed by the journal 5. In this Way the parts may be so adjusted as to prevent rocking of the beam 9 and cause it to operate posi tively in a horizontal plane.

By the employment of a plurality of counterbalancing -weights graded in size from the outermost member of the series inward or toward the 'free end of the tether-rope said weights are adapted to be operated successively to correspond with the tension upon the tether-rope, and a rope of great length may be employed without danger of entanglement. Furthermore,` the means for mounting the rotary beam provide for taking up lost motion due to Wear and changes of temperature, shrinkage, ttc., and at the same time provide for the removal of the beam by disengaging the nuts 14 at the upper ends of the tension-rods. The loose connection between the lower eX.- tremities of the tension-rods and the arms of the rotary cross-head 6 allows a slight independent movement of the parts to prevent binding, and at the same time facilitates the adjustment of the rods to take up looseness at the journal 10.

Any suitable means for securing the base beams may be employed, such as rings 32, secured to the ends of the base-beams by means of staples 81.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- In a stock tether, the combination of a iiXed vertical standard provided at its upper eX- tremity with a reduced upper journal and at an intermediate point below the plane of said upper journal with a second or lower journal, the reduction of the standard to form said journals providing a shoulder at the lower limit of the upper journal and a similar shoulder at the upper limit of the lower journal, a horizontal bearing-disk iixed tothe standard with its upper surface flush with the shoulder at the lower limit of the upper journal, a rotary beam having an opening fitted upon the upper journal and adapted to bear upon the upper surface of the bearing-disk and said lush shoulder, a tether rope and counterbalancing devices carried by said beam, a rotary cross-head having a central opening fitted upon the lowerjournal and bearing at its upper surface against the shoulder at the upper limit of said lower journal, vertical tension rods connecting the extremities of said crosshead with the beam upon opposite sides of its bearing, and means for adjusting the tension of said rods to compensate for wear caused by the frictional contact of the surfaces of the beam and cross-head with said shoulders, substantially as specified.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own Ihave hereto afXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES C. JONES.

litnessesz FRANK P. SMITH, WILL J. WATSON. 

